Long-distance high-potential electric-power system.



C. H. THORDARSON. LONG DISTANCE HIGH POTENTIAL ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEM.

' APPLICATION FILE D OCT. 18, I915. 288,751. Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

enema H. moapaasoit oncn caeofntmo s. Y

To'all urho'm it may concern: y p Be it 'known that I; C ans'rnn H; T30R- DARSON, a citizen of the United'States, and

a a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of. Illinois,- have, invented certain new and useful Improvements in L0I1g- D1S-' tance High Potential :Electric-Power S s tems; and I do here'bydeclare-that the 01- lowing is a full, clear, and 'eziact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of referen'cemarked' thereon, 'which orm a part of this specification.v

, I "Y This invention relates to improvements in long distance high potential electric power transmission systems, and refersato a novel surge" damping transmission line, and aim-- 1 sulating devicms for'supporting'said line.

Amongthe objects of my invention is to rovidea novel lOngdistince' transmission ine for high tension electric current which is so constructed and arranged as to auto; ,niatically balance thereon abnormal pressures, due to surges crother conditions which tend to burn-out insulators, transformers and other translating devices on the line; and {thereby render J the system stable and de ndable. f ther objects of the invention are toimprove and simplify and to reduce the cost of long distance high potential electric power? transmission systems; and the. invention cons'istsvin the combinationhiid arrangement of the parts shownin-the drawings an scribed in the specification a'nd is pointed out in the appended claims.

, --I thedrawin I li iure l is a etail ot a high tension line embodying niy invention.

Fi .;2 is a cross sectiouon the line 2 -2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3. is 91 detail ofhHe meansfor con fleet parallel'oonducto rs m a d rection oppos te ing the lineto the rope-insulators.

\ Fig. 4: isa diagrammatic VleW,

illustratin the action ofthe protecting elegtrostatic shield shown Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 aunt-ma ma electrostati t n ,applled to another form, f insulating .sus-

central con- Specification of Letters Patent;- L l-.91 8 imam-1m October 1a,1e1 5. ,S'eriaINo IS BAISS. W ductor 10 by a of 12 spacedjalong the. lme, as ;shown in-Fig. 5,101 a serles ioij I flspiders 14 as" shown in Fig. 2. The fu n'ction ofthe. disks12or spiders 14' is that oi sep--.

' tor and of m,etal-of higher resistance; -.The. 5'

said separators, 12, I4, 'are 'preferably of 65 non magnetie material and aremounted in any su table manner upon the central, 0onductor 10. Thejdiameterof saidseparators f is dependent upon the current'pressure'on I tance apart, depending upon their 'dia mer}.

ters, as to a oid anypossible sagging of the outer conductors bringing them intotcontaot with the main or central conductor 10. The

said separators have'good electrical contact I with both the central conductorlo and the outer concentricfseries of conductors 1,1

as to make dependable contact between the y i outer andathe inner conductors.

The purpose of arrangm 11 parallel to. and spaced from the central conductor is to steady the current flowon" "the 'line and to damp surges by transfol'll j i g the energy'of 'a surgeinto heat in*th'e' arallel conductors v,1 1' so that the energy of the surge is not thrown' upon insulators,

transformers or like electrical devices cont'he-conductors j nected in the high tension systems. Asurge 4 1 1' 'Wave having a steep front travels I along the outer conductors; and expend a .90. ,much higher resistance of said .outer or 1 portion of; its energy into heat, due tothe parallel conductors.

An'y' 'change in the magnetic field around/ the central conductor 10 which is not accoma. panied. by a corresponding and proportion- 'at'echange of potential on the line produces by induction 3, currentflow in the outer' or to the flo w" in the main conductor, which in- Q V I maintaining abetter phase relation" between the current andpotenti'al wave. J U

- The "distance apart of the separators 12" wiH. depend upon tle line conditions and the potentlal of the curfrent. Said sepafa- '100 -arators 12"and returns to the-"main'orcent al a closedicircuit." e surgedamping ltors, being inYeIectrical'contact'as'they are l 'l'o I '1 .sections, each of which is, in. a sense, self controlling "with respect to current flow I with the inner and outer conductors, divide the transmission line into a plurality of variations. 1 That is to say, each section thus formed, and including closed circuits through the outer conductors and separators,

has its part in dissipating the energy of. a

surge, so as ,to prevent an accumulation of energy on the llne'due -to nertia of current flow, such as would be dangerous to lnsulators and electrical devices in the transn1is'-"- sionsystem. The line becomes, therefore,

self balancing.

By the use of my improved transmissionline, it becomes possible to transmit and control hi her potential'energy than has heretofore een practicable by known transmission systems. Furthermore my improvements greatly lessen the danger of burning out electrical devices and insulators in the system when operating at what is considered practical potentials in the present systems.

ll have found that when operating atvery high potentials, as for "instance from two "hundred thousand .volts and L upward, .a

most satisfactory form of insulator is like that shownin my'pendingapplication for U. S. Letters Patent, Seri'aLNo. 691,801,

"wherein the insulating support consists of a rop-e'saturated with tar;or other water proofihgor insulating material, orotherwis'e,

' constructed to producea water-proof insulating' device.

lln the higher potentials, however, it become necessary, in order to avoid burning the rope at its point of an- Chorage with the line; to provide a special construction, in the nature of a protector or shield at the part of the "rope where it is secured to the high tension line. ,Said

' shield is indicated at 15 in Figs. 1, 4. and 5.

, It preferably has the form-of a wire basketlike structure which is open at its side regnote from the line. At its other closed side 1t is provided with a metallic bushing or ferrule 16 which is fitted closely in metal to metal contact over an anchor bar 17 which directly engages the central conductor bf bushing be screw ded m the an.-

chor bar. ."llh'e anchor bar extends into the:

the ,transmissioh-l line, being fastened to said conductor in any suitable manner. "Said basket and is provided therein with an eye to receive the rope19 which constitutes the insulating and suspension" element; As shownin F 1, and 2 the rope insulators 1 9 'are disposed horizontally at each side of the line and are adapted to be attached at their outer, ends'by fittings 21 to poles or other supports; As shown in Fig. 5 the insulating and suspension rope 22 is disposed vertically from an overhead support to sustain the transmission line.

' Theanchor fitting 23 shown in Fig. 5 is attached to the basket in the sanregeneraI manner asthe anchor bar 17, said fittingextending into the basket and provided therein with an eye to which the rope'isattached.

The edge 24 of the basket 15 around the 'openingtherein, and through which the rope extends, is curved inwardly, thereby making the radius of "the opening shorter "than the length of the rope from its attachment to the anchor bar to a point in the plane of the outer edge of the basket, indicated by the dotted line 25 in'Fig. 4. As herein shown the edge of the basket is turned some distance 'backwardly thereinto from its mouth to produce a rather broad flange-like terminall- However, this particular configuration need not necessarily be followed, the point "being toconstrict the opening or mouth of the basket. The basket is rounded at the portion thereof which is turned inwardlyas indicated at '26 to avoid abrupt corners and to prevent sharp brush discharges. Within the plane of the outer edge of th basket thereis a neutral or balanced electrostatic field, as indicated in Fig. 4., which figure is a true representation of the glow or brush discharge as visible under electrostatic stress when the surtace of the rope has been thoroughly moistened with rain water. 'llhis brush discharge quickly blows oil all surface moisture and. maintains the rope as a good insulator. Theair-space between the rope and the inturned flange 2a of the basket acts, in connection with the I curved surface 26, as an electrostatic cushion'to maintain a uniform and outwardlyeral manner as the basket-like protector 15.

It Will be understoo'd that the structural details of the illustrated embodiment of my invention are capable of variation within the spirit andscope of the claims hereto appended and that it is the intent to claim all of inherent novelty shown in the drawings and described in the specification.

The basket-like shields shown are not herein claimed, but are claimed in a divisibnal ap'plication'filed by me on the 23rd day of April,1917, Serial No. 163,867.

I claim as my invention 2- 1. In longdistance electric power transmission systems, a'maintransmission line, and auxiliary lines radially spaced from and electrically connected to the main line at points throughout its length to divide the main lineinto surge clamping sections.

2. A long distance electric transmission line, comprising a central conductor and closed circuits therewith for current inducedin the hi h resistance wires by the magnetic vfield'of t e central conductor.

63. A transmission-line for electric power transmission .systems comprisingv a main conductor and an outer, radially spaced parallel conductor of relatively high resistance 1 and current conducting spacers between the conductors at intervals along, the line;

4. A transmission line for electric power transmission systems comprising a central conductor, a series of parallel, relatively highresistance conductors surrounding the central conductor and current conducting central and outerconductors spacers between and in contact with the at r intervals along the line 5. A transmission line for electric power transmission systems comprising a centralconductor, a series of parallel, relatively high resistance conductors surrounding, the

central conductor and; non-magnetic metallic spacers arranged at intervals. along the line between the central and surrounding conductors and constituting electrical connections there'betweeni 6. The method of balancing high tension currents on long distance transmission lines which consists in establishing at intervals alon the line closed circuits through outer para lel conductors that lie in the magnetic field of the line. y

7, The methodof balancing high tension currents onlong distance transmission lines which consists in arranging about the line a series of parallel conductors andelectricallyconnecting said conductors to the line at intervals therealong. 1

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 15th day of October, A. D. 1915.

- CHESTER H. THORDARSONQ Witnesses:

W. L. HALL, RUTH E. ZE'I'iERVALL. 

